Thursday, May 03, 2007

Pulverizing history, one house at a time

It seems that the practice of pulverizing historical homes in order to make way for dime-a-dozen condos and apartments is not limited to once-quaint neighborhoods like mine. This Glendale News Press story about what could very well be the death knell for one of Montrose's first homes ever saddens me to no end. Why buy property in a neighborhood that doesn't want to be condo-ized? Why sell to someone who will destroy something so precious?

Builder will seek permission from county to build five units on a lot that is zoned for just two.

By Ryan VaillancourtPublished Wednesday, May 2, 2007 10:35 PM PDT

MONTROSE — The owner of a historic Craftsman-style house in
unincorporated Montrose wants to knock it down and build a two-story,
five-unit apartment complex in its place.

The developer is
scheduled to present the project at a public meeting tonight, but some
residents and neighbors are already lamenting the potential loss of one
of the community's oldest homes.

Built in 1914, just after the city was founded, the house at 2128
Glenada Ave. sits on street with a cul-de-sac, said Mike Lawler,
president of the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley.

"It's
important to hang on to that older architecture and when you preserve
old architecture, it enhances the value of the neighborhood around it,"
Lawler said. "People like old architecture, that old charm. It makes it
feel like a community."

Property owners Gevorg Voskanian and
Razmik Tahmasian are proposing what would be the first multi-family
structure on the block, Lawler said.

Plans call for a two-story
complex with two structures — one with two units, the other with three
— with an open-air terrace in the middle. Each unit is planned to have
three-bedrooms and a semi-subterranean parking garage with two spaces
each.

The lot is zoned R-2, which allows up to two units of multi-family use.

The
property owner has applied for a conditional-use permit with the Los
Angeles County Regional Planing Commission to allow five units on the
project.

But some say the project is a bad fit in the neighborhood, where Craftsman-era homes are prevalent.

"My
problem is the house he wants to knock down is one of the first houses
in Montrose," area resident Elena Valencia said. "Once you knock down
history, you can never look back on it and have the historical
landmark."

But project architect Bruce Labins said the structures have been designed with the surrounding neighborhood in mind.

"When
I first arrived on the site, I was very impressed with that existing
house and I was impressed by how the neighbors had preserved and
maintained other Craftsmans in the area," Labins said. "We're
multi-family, but we're decidedly a Craftsman design and we're
utilizing authentic stylings. Everything about the project is a real
strong attempt to be sensitive to the area."

But the developer's
plan to model the complex keeping the Craftsman style in mind does not
appease some residents, who fear the impact of a multi-family structure.

"I love my community, I love my house, I love my street," said Valencia, whose Glenada Avenue home was built in 1923.

"I don't want to live on a block with condos."

As
planned, the project, which sits on a 14,411-square-foot lot, is in
compliance with the county's density requirements, which allows one
unit per 2,500 square feet, Labins said.

If the county were to
deny the developer's application for a conditional use permit, the
future of the existing home on the lot may be in jeopardy anyway,
Lawler said.

Because the property is zoned for multi-family use, a new apartment building may be inevitable, he said.

"I
don't think the historical side of it is going to matter to the county
planning department or even the [Crescenta Valley] Town Council,"
Lawler said.

"I don't think it's going to weigh one bit and it's sad. I basically think the house is toast."

QUESTION

Should a Montrose-area home built in 1914 be razed to build a five-unit apartment complex? E-mail gnp@latimes.com
or write to News-Press and Leader Community Forum, 221 N. Brand Blvd.
Suite 200, Glendale, CA 91203. Please include your name and tell us
your hometown and phone number for verification purposes only.

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LisaBurks.com

I'm a writer at large, located in Burbank, Calif., on the lookout for kitschy stories to share. My interests include cemeteries, local history, pets and other critters, and random shiny things that catch my attention. Thank you for choosing to spend a part of your online day here!